by Tom O'Hare | Aug 30, 2024 | College Admissions, College Readiness
Students are heading off to college. Dorms are filling up, and new classmates are showing up in the hallways as the experience becomes real.
This summer I spoke with five students who had just completed their first year of college. We discussed their experiences, challenges, and the advice they would give to their past selves. Their stories were filled with lessons learned. Here are their top eight. I am so proud of the group!!
Who are they, you ask? My cohort of students is a diverse group. Their schools are close to home, two hours away, and one arrived by plane. They enrolled in schools with 20K and 5K students. They have different academic interests; some play DIII and club sports. Their diversity reflects the varied experiences you can expect in college.
What did they share?
#1 Comment—Get out of your DORM. A dorm room is for sleeping, unwinding, and relaxing with friends and roommates. Get out of your dorm. Find a quiet place to study away from the dorm. Find a calm place: library, tech center, or academic center.
#2 New friends are not all in the dorm. Outside of roommates (one was a horror show) and neighbors, all agreed they met more friends outside of the residence hall. Join a club or two, get involved with intramurals, eat in the dining hall, and attend events.
#3 College academics are more challenging than anticipated. Whether high school was a breeze or one spent long hours studying, the first semester was rough. There was a lot of reading and taking notes and a huge expectation from the faculty that you would do the work. Create some good study habits and stay on top of work. There was no handholding.
#4 Get to the Academic Center EARLY. Two of the rising Sophomores waited until the end of the semester to see out help—not their best move. Collectively, they all mentioned that their expectation of getting A’s, like in high school, became the reality of B’s and C’s. No one will be asking if you need help. Do not procrastinate.
#5 The 1st week or so was tough – One was alone more than she thought, everyone got homesick a bit, and all acknowledged they learned their ability to be independent
#6 Read your emails – Events, messages from faculty, assignments, deadlines, and more are all communicated through emails and the student portal. Stay on top of things to avoid getting behind.
#7 Less is More – Everyone agreed; they took too much stuff to campus and sent most of it home.
#8 Be healthy – exercise, eat right, hydrate, get enough sleep, and watch out for free time. Check-in at home periodically; they want to know how you are doing.
Keep an eye on your college students. It’s a new experience and they will need you help. The key to one’s first year in college, 4YR, 2YR, Community College is making the transition to the world of higher education. A very different experience.
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by Tom O'Hare | Mar 3, 2024 | College Admissions, College Planning, College Readiness

The college admission process is stressful enough … add this year’s financial aid debacle, and you have sources of students and families on edge. But, no, let’s make matters worse.
If it isn’t hard enough for families to navigate the college planning, finding, applying, and funding process, colleges and universities are exerting more pressure on anxious students. It comes from all places: housing and resident life.
As an education advisor already trying to stem the stress and strain of the admission decision-making process and uncertainty on how to pay, I now hear from students and parents that emails are arriving with a message: no housing deposit, no room.
Growing up in the industry, the process, procedure, and protocol that college-bound students and families follow have been to find a school, apply, get accepted, learn about financial aid (or lack thereof), and then, after evaluating your options, say yes, here is my May 1 deposit. Add me to the list of incoming first-year students. Only then was the next step to send a housing deposit to secure a dorm room.
Did I miss a significant shift in the process? A new business decision on campus. If not, Presidents, Deans, VPs, Directors, and Managers on campus, why are you putting the cart before the horse? Why are you adding to the already emotional, stressful period in the lives of many highly vulnerable young teens?
On behalf of my students and families, please share the why?
Posted on Linkedin and FB – 3/3/2024 – no campus comments yet.
by Tom O'Hare | Feb 3, 2024 | College Planning, College Readiness, Uncategorized

Many families are well into their college planning by now. Are you?
With over 150 different activities, tasks, and deadlines to manage, you still need to start now, if you don’t mind.
Break the 11th-grade to 12th-grade journey into segments based on the time, tasks, and schedules.
Here are seven + one crucial things every parent should do with their student between now and summer break.
Register to Take the SAT | ACT
- PSAT was in Oct – Time to learn the real baseline
- Register for a Nation Test – SAT (3/9 or 5/4) – ACT (4/13 or 6/8)
- We use them to support a student – not hinder
- Take them once and see
Build a List of College Options
- Student and family college expectations and preferences
- Realistic, authentic to one’s ability and talent
- GPA with 2 ticks up and 2 ticks down
Schedule a Campus Visit
- Hands on – feet on the campus is the best to learn about a college, university or accredited trade and professional school..
- Learn about academics, campus life, clubs, sports and check the schools vibe
- Speak to faculty, coaches and advisors
- Use vacation time (February and April), Professional Days, and Saturdays
- Register to attend and say hello to your College Admission Counselor
- Get their before May; Bring the families are welcome
- Five Ways to Make a Campus Visit Valuable – Checklist
Create an HS Resume
- Activities and accomplishment, academic and personal; talent; leadership’ volunteer and work
- 9th grade to now; in and out of school
- Valuable when meeting college representatives, and interviewing
Assess the Family’s Capability to Pay
- Education after high school is expensive; need to know your buying power
- Saving, investment, disposable income?
- What is you had to pay today? What’s your contribution now
- Time to learn about tuition assistance programs; sooner than later
- What’s the impact on college options?
Evaluate Credit Standing
- If you need to borrow after financial aid; you’ll need good credit
- What is your now?
Draw Up a Plan – Rally Your Resources
+ Get Organization
- Add a student-college planning email address to the mix – Gmail | Yahoo | Hotmail
- Correspondence and information
- College planning e-folder
- Documents, PDF’s, drafts, documents
- Everything easily stored, sorted and retrievable
To learn more about who we are, our services, and our approach to planning and funding your student’s educational pathways after high school, visit www.getcollegegoing.com.Start a Conversation – Office is always open
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Updated 3/2024
by Tom O'Hare | Jan 24, 2024 | College Planning, College Readiness, Financial Aid, Uncategorized
As soon as the ball dropped and we entered 2024, the wheels of motion went into action to begin the annual performance review process. Human Resource Departments working with Department Heads, Managers, and employees across organizations hailed the end of another year with an eye on the new—a time to assess the successes and shortcomings at multiple levels: organization, department, and workforce.
A good review process can be a very effective exercise for all involved. It helps identify an employee’s strengths and weaknesses during the year and map out key performance indicators for the new year. Employees use the time to run their “how am I doing” checklist with an eye on a possible promotion, salary increase, and incentives to retain valuable talent.
What if there is nothing to offer? How will an organization retain its key performing employees? What happens when health, dental, 401 matching, free coffee, gym, and parking incentives don’t work? The fear of losing employees, not to mention struggling to recruit, becomes very real.
What to do?
The SECURE 2.0 ACT has created a new opportunity for employers to meet the emotional and financial need-pain point of each employee facing the economic challenges of the rising cost of college and education debt. Young recent graduates, parents of high school and college-age students, and those who pursue life-long learning all experience stress and worry about managing their financial well-being. Saving, planning, funding college, upskilling, managing educational debt, and budgeting for life’s needs create stress and anxiety, often resulting in questionable financial decisions.
Employer programs offering education enrichment, guidance, and financial support can cure many employee pains. Here are four benefit programs every employer and member-driven organization should consider offering.
- Allocate education assistance benefits to tuition reimbursement or pay down education debt.
- Shift the employer matching contribution of a 401(k) and 403(b) to a pay-down payment.
- College planning assistance through dedicated 1-1 advising and counseling programs or subscription-based e-learning portals.
- Access to education debt advisors to assist with program clarity, mediation, and guidance.
Offering programs through an organization’s EAP Program, managed by Human Resources and delivered by industry experts, sends a message of commitment to a workforce and, in return, is rewarded by a motivated and loyal workforce.
Consider adding a college planning resources to your EAP. Pivotal College Years is an online college planning portal for students, parents, and recent graduates. The portal is a single source of information before, during, and after college. Valuable resources are available through the online College Planning Portal, Workable College Planning Workbook, and our YouTube Channel, all of which provide support and guidance throughout a family’s college planning journey. Learn how you can bring this valuable resource to your organization.
by Tom O'Hare | Dec 21, 2023 | College Planning, College Readiness, In-School Persistence
The first semester of the new college school year is in the books. Finals are over, grades will be posted, and for many students they will learn how their transition to college life is progressing. It’s time for the Christmas break!
Christmas is a beautiful time. It is a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate the holiday spirit. For new first-year college students, the break is a vital time to relax, refuel, and re-energize. For many, this first significant break is a time to question their college path and whether they will be successful.
For parents, the Christmas break is their first time to be with their student for any extended time since move-in day. There are many questions to explore regarding a student’s new college experience. College academics, study demands, roommates, and social life are just a few pressing thoughts a parent has about their new college freshman.
Parents, too, are excited to see their students. As the dad myself (four), I have arrived on campus anxious to learn everything, only to be greeted by a month’s worth of laundry and an exhausted human being. Thoughts of talking to my daughter or son about classes, professors, clubs, and social activities on the ride home turned to silence as they slept, and I stressed!
Students returning home during this extended break bring a variety of emotions and excitement with them. Minds are full of accomplishments, good times, names of new friends, and thoughts about next semester.
Pause the Questions
Challenging courses, issues with fitting in, food selection, and other concerns can affect students. Even the slightest negative feeling of not being the best can create anxiety. Understanding how to approach the conversation is a challenge for any parent.
Parents instead need to restrain the impulse to press for details and turn on their good listening skills. Yes, the instinct is to inquire and even push for information. Your students react like they have entered the jury box and are about to go through an inquest.
Instead, resist the temptation, listen, take mental notes, and watch for behavioral changes. Celebrate the holiday. There will be time to open up the conversation. Students who are struggling want to talk; it’s just a matter of timing!
6 ways to avoid conflicts with your returning college student.– Psychology Today
After They Recharge
You will find that once a student has had a chance to recharge their battery with food and sleep and a few phone calls to catch up with their close high school friends, the signal will flash that it is time for the conversation. How you begin will be critical to the outcome. You may have covered the topics during Thanksgiving, but things may still be happening. Ask open-ended questions, not those that allow for a yes or no answer.
- What new professor or class are you finding interesting?
- Tell me about a new classmate that you have met.
- How is the food in the dining hall? How does it compare to my cooking?
- What interesting clubs have you checked out?
- What course gave you the hardest time?
- What has changed since Thanksgiving?
From their reactions, you should have a line on whether you should dig deeper. If the combination of your observations and conversation leads you to believe there might be some more concern, superficial or severe, then it’s time. If needed, plan a second time to talk and reassure them that whatever the turn of the page offers, they have 100% support and that things will be OK.
Returning To Campus
Students returning to campus typically bring clean laundry, snacks, and forgotten items from when they initially moved in. As they return, it is also important for students to understand that they have resources to help overcome obstacles BUT thy need to be their own personal advocate – Resources if needed:
- A visit to the Academic Support Center to seek out help with overcoming a drop-in grade, help with time management or writing skills.
- Resident Life to manage dorm room and roommate concerns**
- The Dining Hall Manager discuss dietary needs
- Visit Student Life and Student Affairs to search out Clubs, Organizations, and even a part-time job.
** Dorm Room concerns that may require a request for a room transfer or new roommate should be handles during the break!
Parents, your role is to tether the line a wee bit to allow your students to take the lead to empower themselves. However, if a concern requires your assistance, don’t wait. Coaching and guiding your students through an issue whiling monitoring a positive outcome is critical.
Finally, a lot of parents express concern about “never hearing from my student”. Before a student returns to campus work out a plan on when to connect. Reassure your student your not looking to invade their new level of maturity, but you want to hear how things are going. Whether texting or call figure our frequency and time. Peace of mind to all.
When May rolls along, and your student has returned after having a successful year, all you’ll need to ask is, where are you working this summer
Foot Note: The average withdrawal rate of 1st year students has risen by 8.1% to 28.1% nationally with over 43% of all students who start never finishings. Academic readiness, ability to pay college costs and social/emotional wellbeing of a student are the three most common reason why student leave. Keeping an open dialog, using resources and staying ahead of concerns can keep a student progressing to their end goal – a degree. .
by Tom O'Hare | Nov 24, 2023 | College Planning, College Readiness, Uncategorized

Originally published 2021 – Revised 2023
What Lies Ahead After High School?
Many high school students, parents, and young adults ponder this question. What direction should I take? Follow everyone or go on a different path? Finding the right one can be the key to future financial and personal success. Thankfully, there are many choices.
Attending College right out of high school has historically been the path everyone has been encouraged to follow. The Higher Education Act of 1965 was a catalyst in moving a country to adopt the mindset. The expansion of student financial aid programming, the strengthening of veterans’ benefits, and the greater need for professional workers all came with the signature of President Johnson.
In 2023, new approaches to education and careers after high school are available. Today, conversations are shifting to embrace the needs of individuals and workforce needs. Affordability in higher education, gaps in our skilled workforce, and the critical importance of supporting young minds who need a pause after twelve years are just a few of the pressing reasons.
Beginning as early as middle school, we must shift the narrative to the importance of introducing to young minds different roles, jobs, and professions for Today and Tomorrow. Parents must be encouraged to develop their students’ authentic educational and personal abilities and stop chasing prestige and vanity. Educators and thought leaders need to step back from the buzz of STEM and STEAM, which often forces students into boxes and fuels the competitiveness of higher education. Local, statewide, and national government leaders need to re-evaluate funding allocation. Businesses that generate enormous profits at the risk of students’ mental well-being need to recalibrate their so-called mission. Let’s celebrate lifelong learning as a catalyst for social and economic success.
Which Path Will Be Yours?
High school to 4-year College – yes, continuing the traditional route designed by our educational system is the path for 80% of a graduating class. Students work in high school, developing a range of academic proficiency and personal character to be ready. Meeting the demands of this path can be challenging, emotional, and competitive. For 20% who feel the social need to follow the herd, ultimately leaving after their first semester or year, we must proactively support and encourage different paths.
Technical to Skilled – students enrolled are traditionally on a skilled or specialized/ trade career path. Currently, qualified professionals are aging out of the workforce, so where will the next plumber, electrician, HVAC, and others come from to cover continued consumer and business demands? The absence of trained, skilled professionals will slow the economy and increase service costs. Apprenticeships and certification programs after high school allow individuals to pursue their interests to secure financially and personally successful careers.
Associates to Bachelors offers students who aspire to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree but need time to hit their academic and personal stride can succeed through a 2+2 program. Beginning at a community college can boost a student’s academic and personal readiness and provide a very affordable path to a four-year degree. Students start at Community College full-time and transfer to a four-year public or private institution upon completion.
Work, Earn, and Learn for many individuals allows them to pause, enter the workforce, earn a little, and get a feel for the future. The delay can be to start their career and pursue a college degree, associate, or bachelor’s degree. Joining a business and transitioning one’s technical and interpersonal skills can be a perfect way to benefit from employer-based tuition assistance programs.
Military is for a select group of men or women willing to commit to serving their country in one of the many branches of the Armed Services. This calling sometimes begins as a member of the JROTC program via a military academy or post-high school. Individuals select from various Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), including communications, technology, cyber security, defense, engineering, infantry, and special operations.
A Gap Year today is no longer the idea of pack backing nationwide. Students who take a break can pursue volunteerism, job training, internships, or externships to explore and gain from different learning experiences. These include programs like Year Up and the Gloucester Biotechnology Academy.
Exploring and analyzing the various paths should be guided by an individual’s education to a career plan. A plan that considers all life-long learning opportunities now and in the future, financially affordable and unique to a student and their family.
As the parents of four, each who took a different path, I understand how emotional and daunting advising one’s student can be. guiding and advising our children can be. Have questions, need to compare notes, schedule a time to talk.